Author: BruceWhealton

The Massive Project to Clean Up the Ocean With a Two-Kilometer Screen Every year, eight million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean, threatening just about every marine species and ecosystem. As the global population grows and countries develop, this is only going to increase, eventually threatening us as well—if it isn’t already. The Great… Read more

How Clinical Trials Are Making the Case for MDMA in Psychotherapy In an interview at Exponential Medicine in San Diego, speaker Brad Burge discussed the innovative applications of MDMA in psychotherapy. Burge is the director of strategic communications at non-profit MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies). Historically, MDMA has been known as a psychedelic drug and was criminalized… Read more

There’s a Growing Abundance of Capital to Fund Bold Ventures There is a growing abundance of capital to fund entrepreneurs’ massive transformative purposes (MTPs) and moonshots. Last year, venture capitalists in the United States poured nearly $70 billion into entrepreneurs—just the tip of the iceberg. In this post, I’ll cover three places outside of traditional… Read more

These Creepy Mini-Brains May Finally Crack Deadly Brain Cancer Brain organoids look like something between a malformed human brain and a character from Monsters, Inc. But don’t be fooled by their grotesque appearance. Ever since their introduction three years ago, brain organoids—charmingly dubbed “mini-brains” and “brain balls”—have been a darling in neuroscience research. Made from… Read more

Why Intelligent Optimism Is Crucial to Human Progress There is nothing to be gained from blind optimism. But an optimistic mindset can be grounded in rationality and evidence. It may be hard to believe, but we are living in the most exciting time in human history. Despite all of our ongoing global challenges, humanity has… Read more

History Suggests the Hyperloop Is an Uncertain Promise for Future Cities Proponents of Hyperloop have repeatedly suggested that their transportation technology will create new “mega-regions,” essentially reshaping the scope of cities. Multiple startups are now striving to defy critics and connect different dots on maps. But in the process they face formidable barriers and uncertain… Read more

This Week’s Awesome Stories From Around the Web (Through December 9) ROBOTICS New Robots Can See Into Their FutureBrett Israel | Berkeley News “Using this technology, called visual foresight, the robots can predict what their cameras will see if they perform a particular sequence of movements. These robotic imaginations are still relatively simple for now—predictions made… Read more